Cape Fear River Trip

This river trip takes place in eastern North Carolina and follows the Cape Fear River from our start point in Fayetteville, N.C. to our destination of Wilmington, N.C., which will be our home base for two nights. Along the route we’ll take the group through this river’s unique lock system, which just celebrated it’s 100 year anniversary. Still manually operated by the Corps of Engineers personnel, we have been granted special permission to traverse these antique locks, now closed to most boat traffic. (These locks originally catered to commercial traffic and therefore still remain closed on the weekends.) This once bustling waterway still shows signs of commercial activity from it’s distant past, but is now quiet, becoming a road less traveled.

We’ll spend two nights on the Wilmington riverfront at their most recently renovated hotel and guests will enjoy premium river view rooms overlooking the river and our reserved docking, just a few feet away. The entire Wilmington riverfront is within easy walking distance and offers many fine shops, restaurants and historical buildings. From your vantage point, both on and off the water, you’ll be able to see the U.S.S. North Carolina battleship, moored directly across the river from the hotel.

Day 2 will provide you with an 86-mile run up the Northeast Cape Fear River. This ride starts with a classic coastal look and gradually becomes a Carolina blackwater river, loaded with cypress and hardwoods. The transition in the vegetation and the water itself, always makes for a beautiful ride (especially on a weekday!. You’ll have some free time after the ride to explore the town before meeting the group for a stroll down the riverwalk for dinner. Day 3 will take us back up the Cape Fear River to return to our start point of Fayetteville. Again, we’ll traverse the 3 locks and enjoy lunch along the way. All in all, a truly unique ride covering 310 miles over the 3 days.

*Dates: July 17 – 19, 2017

*Private trip

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